Hall of Fame Steel Guitarist and Former Buckaroo Tom Brumley Passed Away

…he served as a key member of Buck Owens’ Buckaroos band during the ’60s. Touring and recording with Owens, Brumley played on such No. 1 hits as “Act Naturally” and “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail.” His work on Owens’ recording of “Together Again” is widely regarded as one of the finest steel guitar solos in the history of country music.

Brumley also played on albums by Dwight Yoakam, Sara Evans and Robbie Fulks.

His best vocals were at the end of the most affecting original song on the album, “Highway 20 Ride,” which is in the form of a note from divorced father to son, explaining why they only see each other every other weekend. And in places — a cover of Ray LaMontagne’s stark, unnerving “Jolene,” and “Junkyard,” about an abusive household — Mr. Brown’s brow was furrowed, as if no amount of good cheer or great musical accompaniment could provide succor for the pain beneath. That he hurt was something of a relief.

“Trace did cut it,” says songwriter Lee Thomas Miller, who was a co-writer on both “In Color” and Trace’s hit “You’re Gonna Miss This.” “[Trace] cut a great record on it. I think Jamey, when he wrote it, in the back of his mind wanted to do somethin’ on it. But he didn’t have a deal, so he really didn’t stop Trace from cutting it. So kind of the next thing we know, Trace has cut it, it’s done, it’s ready to go, and guess what? Jamey’s released it as a single. Universal has signed him. Trace was gracious. From what he told me, ‘The guy wrote the song. What am I gonna do?’”